Category: Pharmacology

The Earliest Discovered Sewing Tools for Surgery and Textiles

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The earliest discovered eyed needles designed for surgery are from 30,000 B.C. This specific artifact was discovered within a cave located in Aurignacia, France. Additionally, other ancient needles have been uncovered within the region of Altai Krai, Russia, specialist needles without an eye but with a split head designed to grip the thread. These tools which are crafted from bird bone by the Denisovans, date back to 40,000 B.C. – 30,000 B.C. Both discoveries indicate that early human beings had developed sophisticated tools and techniques for sewing, tools which could have been used for many tasks ranging from textile repairs to complex tasks like surgery

The Accidental Discovery of Tea and the Agricultural Advents Developed by Chinese Emperor Jiang Shinian

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Tea was discovered entirely by accident. The first emperor of ancient China, Emperor Jiang Shinian (Shen Nung or Shennong) was boiling water in his palace courtyard when a tea leaf fell from above, and into the boiling pot. Due to the pleasant scent, Jiang ingested the water as it cooled and by coincidence discovered the activity of tea consumption. The name Jiang Shinian directly translates to mean “Devine Husbandman” within Mandarin, as it is believed Jiang developed multiple Chinese agricultural advents (e.g. crop cultivation for medicinal herbs, soil managment strategies, irrigation etc.). It should be noted, this account of the discovery of tea is believed to most likely be fictitious and mythological in origin by Chinese historians during the modern day

How the Rabies Virus Pathogen Infects and Propagates Within Mammalian Hosts

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The rabies virus causes hostility within its host because aggressive behavior (e.g. biting etc.) is crucial for the transmission of the pathogen due to the fact that the virus is primarily secreted within the saliva of its hosts, although it can be present within and therefore transmitted via other tissues as well (e.g. infected brain tissue coming into contact with the open wound of a host etc.). The rabies virus primarily affects the central nervous system of its host, involving both the brain and spinal cord, causing inflammation of the brain referred to as “encephalitis”, and triggering various other neurological symptoms which help aide propogation (e.g. aggression, confusion, hallucinations etc.). The rabies virus travels along nerves from the wound site of the infection to the brain, where it then replicates and causes inflammation. Once the rabies virus reaches the brain, it can spread rapidly throughout the body via the central nervous system, leading to severe neurological symptoms and death in 100% of cases if left untreated

The Importance of Gastrointestinal Microbes for Weight Loss

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There are 100,000,000,000,000 (100 trillion) microbes within the gastrointestinal system and scientists have learned that by transplanting microbes from one animal to another, weight gain and weight loss can be turned on and off at will. Scientists now understand that the greater diversity a person has in terms of the types of microbial life which live within their body, the less likely they are to gain weight or maintain a higher than ideal body weight, with the exact opposite effect occurring in those who have lower than average values in reference to the number of microbes living within the body. Diets rich in fiber are typically associated with higher values of microbes, so increasing fiber intake, can significantly reduce overall body weight and promote the existence and health of many different kinds of microbes. Increasing fiber content for only a few days, has a measurable and marked effect upon microbrial gastrointestinal health

The Development of Japanese Tea Gardens and Tea Houses

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The Japanese tea garden is the antithesis of the Buddhist Zen garden and originated in the 9th century after tea was imported into Japan from China. Buddhist monks would drink Chinese tea to keep themselves awake during long meditation sessions. Over the subsequent centuries, tea drinking became an elaborate practice which was highly ritualized with samurai, geishas, and monks all serving tea using these same concepts. Japanese tea gardens developed during the 16th century with direct influence from the concepts of tea ceremonies, designed and constructed to surround tea houses

The Generational Health Effects of Smoking During Pregnancy

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Smoking during pregnancy doubles the risk of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children. Exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy can persist transgenerationally, being passed from parent to child, and can result within a higher probability of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in 2nd and 3rd generation offspring. Smoking was purported as a remedy for morning sickness during the 1930’s which could explain why Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has been identified more and more throughout the past few decades. It takes a person with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder 150 milliseconds longer than a person without, to react to stimuli, which is the equivalent difference between a successful hit and a near miss of a ball with a baseball bat

The Original Medical Term for an Intellectually Disabled Person and the Evolution of This Term

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The original medical term within psychology for a developmentally disabled person was “simpleton” during the 19th century which eventually became the wider used “moron”, from the Ancient Greek “moros” which means “dull”, a term originally considered neutral and non-pejorative. Because the term “moron” became used pejoratively within society by the 1960’s, the term was altered to become “retard”, from the Latin “retardare” which means “to make slow, delay, keep back, or hinder”. Because this term also became used pejoratively, the term was changed again in 2010 under the Barack Obama administration to become “intellectually disabled”. Other variants have become common place synonyms, often used interchangeably, either correctly or incorrectly, within society (e.g. “developmentally delayed”, “specialized needs”, developmentally disabled” etc.)

The Naga Baba Holy Sadhus of India

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Naga babas who are naked holy men, reject the physical world including clothing to be closer to Lord Shiva, one of the most powerful gods in Hinduism. Naga babas live in the Himalayan mountains and smoke incredibly large amounts of cannabis regularly. Naga babas often hand out blessings for a small sum, carrying out the blessing by hitting the person requesting it on the head with a peacock feather wand

The Country Which Executes the Most Convicted Persons and the Method of Execution Used

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It is believed that China executes thousands of convicted persons each year, more than all other countries combined, as claimed by Amnesty International, due to the true value being closely guarded by the Chinese government. Typically Chinese executions are carried out with a single bullet to the back of the head/neck but intravenous poisons have also been used in recent decades

How Breath Alcohol Analysis Works

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Alcohol shows up in the breath because it gets absorbed from the mouth, throat, stomach and intestines into the bloodstream. Alcohol­ is not digested upon absorption, nor chemically changed in the bloodstream. As blood circulates through the lungs, some of the alcohol moves across the membranes of the lung’s alveoli, into the air stored within the lungs. Because the alcohol concentration in the breath is related to the concentration in the blood, an approximate measurement can be identified when using a simple ratio formula of breath alcohol to blood alcohol which is 2100:1. This means that 2100 milliliters of alveolar air will contain the same amount of alcohol as 1 milliliter of blood